Let's Get Social!

We're more than a podcast. Connect with us to learn what UNMISTAKABLE truly means.

Joe Loya- The Best of 2014: Confessions of a Bank Robber

Today we continue our best of 2014 series. Joe Loya’s life trajectory of rising up and moving forward took a radically different turn after losing his mother at an an early age, and stabbing his father in the neck at the age of 16. This was beginning of of a life of crime, and 14 month bank robbing spree in which he robbed 30 banks. In this amazing chat about his life, we discuss the amazing power of innovating with your story.

Today we continue our best of 2014 series. Joe Loya’s life trajectory of rising up and moving forward took a radically different turn after losing his mother at an an early age, and stabbing his father in the neck at the age of 16. This was beginning of of a life of crime, and 14 month bank robbing spree in which he robbed 30 banks. In this amazing chat about his life, we discuss the amazing power of innovating with your story.

Higlights

The loss of a parent at a very young age

Growing up with an abusive father

How stabbing his father unleashed Joe’s anger

The power of a story that continually changed

How being robbed caused Joe to ratchet up his game

The murder of an ex cellmate that changed Joe’s life

Achieving balance without acting against your consciousness

How writing starts to reveal the patterns of our lives

Why you must start to own your story

How Joe became a talking head for crime

The pain of victims that led Joe to working with female writers

Why your story is a fluid thing that you can own

How we deal with grief and why it’s a part of life

Why holding onto grief can be insidious

How being trained to look for meaning helped Joe transform

A look at what happens in the mind when you rob a bank

Why your story is a fluid thing that can change

Learning to laugh at the things you take seriously

Our cultural misperceptions of the people who are prison

Joe Loya is an essayist and playwright, as well as a contributing editor with the Pacific News Service. His essays have appeared in several national newspapers and magazines, including the San Francisco Examiner, the Los Angeles Times, and El Andar magazine. This episode of the Unmistakable Creative is sponsored by Skilledup, an online course discovery platform built to help shape the future of learning​. Download their free toolkit for creative professionals.